


Just the Guys

by fraca4



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2015-09-23
Packaged: 2018-03-12 20:16:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 22,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3353897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fraca4/pseuds/fraca4
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One last guys weekend before the wedding and the changes that come after.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Just the Guys

The wedding of John Diggle and Lyla Michaels was fast approaching; so Oliver thought it would be great idea for John, Roy, Oliver and even Barry Allen to get away. Oliver found a mountain cabin to rent. It would be perfect, a lake to fish in and a place where the four of them could just relax with out worrying about criminals and meta-humans; just fishing, drinking, watching TV or not, guys being guys.

At first Diggle had been unsure about going, but Olive and Roy kept at him, telling him everything would be fine with them leaving for one weekend. The deciding factor had been Lyla herself telling him to go, get out of town because he was driving her nuts. Felicity, Thea and Laurel also told him to go, that they could handle whatever came up.

 

They left on Friday morning, with a final goodby to Lyla they headed out. The father out of town they went the more they all seemed to relax, it was just what they needed. The cabin was situated on a private lake and it was beautiful, no neighbors just them. They spent the afternoon fishing and relaxing on the deck. Barry and Roy kept daring each other to do stunts off the dock while Oliver and John laughed, waiting for one of them to break something. That night after a dinner of grilled steaks and baked potatoes they sat around with a fire in the fire place watching a basketball game.

Raising his drink towards John Oliver said "You are one lucky man." Roy and Barry agreed with Oliver. Barry went so far as to say "I want to be you, when I grow up."

John shot him a glare "I'm not that old, but thanks guys" then took a sip of his drink.

Oliver laughed and then after taking a drink said "So John Diggle, in part some wisdom on us, how do we achieve your life, your level of happiness." John looked at Oliver seeing the smile on his face, but also noticing that it didn't reach his eyes. John knew that Oliver was having a hard time dealing with Felicity's decision to stop any romantic relationship.

"Yes, please tell us your life secrets" came from Roy, who was trying to not think about Thea.

John thought for a moment, trying to figure the best way to put into words. Staring at the fire he finally said "Its luck, pure and simple luck. The first time around it didn't work for us and I am fortunate enough to be giving a second chance and smart enough to grab it. If you love someone, truly love them, and you want them in your life and are willing to allow them in your life; let them know that you will do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to make it work. " Then as they digested this he took another couple of sips of his drink.

"How do you get them to give you another chance" Roy softly asked, his gaze never leaving the fire.

"Patience, you just keep showing them until they are ready. Just be there when they need you and give them space when they don't. If they love you as you love them, it will work out and they will let you back into their lives."

Silence descended over the cabin as they each sat thinking about what he had said. As they sipped their drinks watching the fire, each was devising a plan to reconnect with the woman he loves, knowing it was going to be a long, slow and possibly painful process.


	2. Roy's Journey Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy's develops his plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was suggested that I expand on this story, so this is the beginning, hope you enjoy it.

After the wedding reception Roy was sitting in his apartment thinking on what John had said at the cabin. “If you love someone, truly love them, and you want them in your life and are willing to allow them in your life; let them know that you will do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to make it work." How do I go about letting Thea know? Roy thought to himself. He spent almost the entire night thinking about it and in the morning he had a plan. First thing on his plan was to find another job. It would be difficult, but he needed to put distance between the two of them. Thea needed space, she had been telling him that for a while and he was finally in a place to give it to her, by not working for her, she would have all the space she needed. He would continue his night job, but for them to have any kind of future together, he felt they needed to go back to being friends first. On his way to the foundry to talk to Oliver he was trying to figure out what type of job he could get that would utilize his particular skill set, he was walking by a gym when he noticed a sign in the window, Fitness Instructor wanted, it stopped him in the middle of the sidewalk, perfect he thought. He went in and applied for the position, talked to the manager and was told he could start the next morning. It paid more than he was making at the club, which would be nice because he decided that he was going to start taking some classes at the college. He wanted to spend more time around people his closer to his age and there was no better place than school. He was in a very good mood when he walked in the foundry.  
Oliver was doing the salmon ladder when he called out “Good morning.”

Oliver dropped down and looked at him “What has you in such a good mood?”

“I have a plan” Roy told him and then he proceeded to tell him all the decisions he had come to last night and this morning. 

“Taking classes, uh” Oliver asked with a smile.

“Well, that’s the plan, don’t know how well it will go, I wasn’t the best student before.”

“Well, if you ever need anything, nights off to study or help with anything just ask. I don’t know how I will be with school work, seeing as I dropped out mostly, but if I can help I will.” Oliver told him. “How do you think Thea will take your quitting” he went on to ask

“I don’t know to be truthful, but I know it is the right thing, for both of us” and with that said Roy went back up the stairs to see if Thea had arrived yet. He found her in her office “Hey, can we talk” he asked

“Sure what’s up?”

“I just wanted to tell you that I have been doing a lot of thinking “he started 

“Don’t say another word, I can’t deal with this. I told you I needed space, why can’t you just back off.” She cut in angrily

“Um, Thea please let me finish, what I was says was I have been doing a lot of thinking and I came up here to quit. I think the best way to give you and myself space is to quit. So here is my notice, tonight will be my last night.”

Thea was dumbfounded, he was quitting. “You can’t quit, I need you here”

“No you don’t need me, you can do this, and you can hire someone else. I need to leave. I need to put distance between us.’ Taking a deep breath he went on “Me still working here isn’t good for either one of us. There are things I want to do, so thank you for the job, but it is time to move on.”

“I can’t believe you’re leaving me, what about telling me that you would always be there for me.”

“I will be, as your friend, not your employee.” Roy went and placed a light kiss on her cheek and then said “I will see you later” and walked out of her office.

Thea just sat at her desk watching as he left. Of all the things she thought could happen today, Roy quitting was not one of them. Before she could ponder it further her phone rang “Verdant, Thea Queen speaking” as so began her work day. 

Roy went and told Oliver that he was going over to the college to see what he needed to do to start taking classes. He spent several hours talking to counselors, taking tests, then talking to adviser's and after several hours he was enrolled in three classes English, math and an art class. Two of them were basics he had been told, so no matter what he chose to do next as least he had those classes out of the way. The art class was for him, know one really know this but he loved to draw and he hoped the class would help him get better at it. He was really happy with the way things were going, he was starting a new chapter in his life and he hoped that eventually Thea would be on the same page. He walked into the foundry hearing Felicity tearing into Oliver about him.

“How could he just quit on her like that. She needs him and he just walks away. I thought he was better than that.”

“Felicity, he has his reasons, why don’t you ask him about it, you will probably be surprised.” Oliver told her. He did not understand why she was so upset. Roy chose that moment to make his presence known by saying “Oliver you will not believe the cost of books” he stopped when he saw Felicity standing there. “Oh, I didn’t know you where hear.”

“Well I am” Felicity snapped then a strange look came over her face when she asked “the cost of what books Roy” 

“Text books, I enrolled in some classes today and the books are almost as much as the classes themselves.”

“You’re taking college courses, you Roy Harper enrolled in college courses; I mean I didn’t figure you for the academic type not that you couldn’t be I mean everyone could be an academic type, something tells me I should just stop talking now.”

Roy looked at her a little hurt, which made Felicity feel terrible.

“I’m sorry Roy, while talking to Thea earlier she said that you quit.”

“I did, I told Thea I quit. I have a new job and I am taking college classes. Look, she said she needed space, I get that. The more I thought about it I realized that I needed to put distance between the two of us. I need to know who I am and what I really want, instead of abscessing over Thea. I need to distance myself for me, while I want Thea to be happy and at this point I think I can make her happy; maybe I need to find out if Thea is really the person to make me happy. I would hate to find out years down the road that she can’t and be miserable and end-up hating her. So really this isn’t about Thea at all, it is about what is best for me” Roy explained.

Felicity just stared at him, and then at Oliver and was shocked by the fact that Oliver was shaking his head in agreement. “You agree with this?”

Oliver thought for a moment and then answered “Yes, yes I do. Come on Roy; let’s go get something to eat and you can tell me about your classes. Felicity if Laurel gets here before we are back, tell her we will go on patrol when I get back.” And with that Roy and Oliver left Felicity standing by herself in the foundry, asking herself what the heck had just happened.


	3. Oliver's journey begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver starts to find himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the beginning of Oliver's journey. Hope you like it, please let me know.

Oliver queen was sitting in the lair staring at the computer screens. He had been doing a lot of thinking lately. He needed to find direction, a path you could say. He needed to do or be something besides the Arrow. He had to find a purpose as Oliver Queen. He knew what he wanted the end result to be, a life with Felicity, but was not happening now, so he needed to figure out what he could and or should do to get to the end. He thought about getting a day job, but his unique skills set limited his options. Did he want to go back to school, after dropping out of four of them, not likely? So what did Oliver Queen want to do with his life? He had never asked himself that question before, he had always assumed that he would go to work at Queen Consolidated, but that was no longer his. That along with Felicity now was Ray Palmers. Oliver didn’t really want to dwell on how that made him feel, fearing he would start punching something and not be able to stop. He grabbed his coat and left thinking maybe a walk would help clear his mind and give him some perspective. As he walked he continues to think about what he wanted, what he wanted away from the Arrow. The family company was gone, so that was out, but then he didn’t know if that was what would have made him happy anyway. He thought about the skills he had gained in the past eight years. He found himself standing in front of the library, he couldn’t remember the last time he had been here and so he decided to go in. It was almost the same as he had remembered it, only it didn’t feel as big, that could be he thought to himself because he was no longer a child. As he wandered through the stacks he found himself in the motivational section. As he looked at the books several piqued his interest and he pulled them from the shelves, found a quiet spot and sat down to read. He didn’t know how long he had been there when his phone buzzed in his pocket. Taking it out he saw that there was a message from Felicity “Where are u?” He checked his watch and saw that it was approaching six o’clock so he quickly went to the desk, signed up for a library card, checked out his books and left. Felicity, Thea, Roy, Laurel and John were waiting for him when he walked in.

“Am I late for a meeting?” he asked with a smile on his face.

“No” Felicity said “You had said last night you wanted an early start and everyone was here but you, where have you been.”

“Sorry, but I wanted to get out of here for a while, so I walked around the city and ended up at the library and then lost track of time.”

Everyone stared at him like he a grown a second head. “The library” Thea asked. “Yes, the library.” He replied tersely. They way everyone was looking at him, you would think he didn’t know how to read. To change the subject he asked “So what’s on the agenda for tonight?” It worked because Felicity told them about some drug dealers trying to take over an apartment complex in the glades. Oliver, Roy and Diggle were going to pay them a visit, while Felicity and Laurel were on the comms and Thea was up in the club. It didn’t take very long for them to find the dealers and persuade them that they needed to find a new line of work. Those that weren’t too receptive to the vocational advice were left on the handcuffed to bike rack outside the apartment building. Smiling at each other the three men headed back to the lair. As the rest of the night was quiet Roy left early to study, John went home to Lyla, Sara, and Laurel went to prepare for court the next day. As Felicity was finishing what she was doing and preparing to leave Oliver pulled on the books out of his backpack and sat down on the bed to read. Felicity was stunned “You really were at the library” she said out loud.

“I said I was” was Oliver’s reply

“I know, but you and the library, I mean really, I thought it was an excuse” she stammered.

Oliver looked at her with hurt in his eyes “I have never lied to you Felicity, ever” he told her closing his book and carrying it upstairs, leaving her alone in the lair. Once again she was left wondering what the heck was going on.

The next day on his walk Oliver ended up at the museum. He enjoyed walking around looking at the different exhibits; today he set an alarm on his phone so that he would make it back to the lair before anyone else. Felicity’s comments from the night before were still bothering him, but the longer he walked around the museum the less he thought about it.

On the third day, Oliver was leaving the lair when John walked down the stairs “Something up” John asked.

“No just going for a walk” Oliver told him.

“You seem to be doing that a lot lately” John voiced.

“I am trying to find Oliver Queen again, to see what interests him, what drives him, what he wants to do with his life.”

“Oliver, I know that I have told you this in the past but let me say it again, talking about yourself in the third person is really strange and creepy.”

“Noted, again; well I am off to explore. I won’t be going out tonight Roy and Laurel will, so I will either see you later.” Oliver told him. John thought a moment looking at his fried “Would you mind some company.” Oliver was surprised but answered “No at all, let’s go.” They went out the side door and today’s route would take them into the Glades. The walked silently looking at their surroundings for a while not really talking to each other. They Glades had still not recovered from the undertaking and it deeply troubled Oliver to see the devastation still.

“It wasn’t your fault Oliver” John said noticing the tension in Oliver’s face.

“No, it wasn’t my fault but my parents played a big part in it” Oliver replied. John was a little surprised by Oliver’s answer, usually he said that he had failed and that’s why it happened. In fact this was the only time he had heard him say that it wasn’t his fault. Maybe he is coming to terms with, John thought to himself. The walked a little longer before coming to the community center. Oliver stopped and looked at the building a minutes before making is mind up to go in. Oliver walked up to the front desk and asked “Where do I sign up to volunteer”

The people behind the desk stopped and looked at him “What did you say?” one asked

“I would like to volunteer, where can I sign up”

“What do you want to do?” 

“Anything that needs to be done, tell me what you need and I will do it, I just really want to become involved” was Oliver’s reply

John wasn’t sure who was more shocked, him or the people behind the desk. They took down all of his pertinent information and told him to come by the next day and they would have something for him. He smiled and thanked them then left with John following close behind him.

“Oliver, what just happened?” John asked

“I signed up to volunteer at the community center.” Oliver told him

“I know that, but why did you volunteer?” 

Oliver stopped walking and looked John in the eye before replying “This is where I live, this is my community and I want to help. I don’t want to sit in the basement anymore. I want to be out in the world among the living, doing what everyone else does. I want a life John and maybe this is the first step in my getting a life. Maybe my volunteering here I can find answers to some of the questions I have been asking myself.”  
It was now John’s turn to look and Oliver and wonder what the heck was going on.


	4. Barry's journey begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry decides he wants to live his life.

Barry had been doing a lot of thinking about what John had said at the cabin. Prove to her that you will always be there. Barry felt that he had done that maybe that was part of the problem. He had always been there for Irish, with the exception of when he was in a coma. Barry also started thinking that it was time to figure out what exactly he wanted out of life. He had spent so much of his life trying to find out who killed his mother and getting his father out of prison; his father was right, it was time he started thinking about what he wanted. It sounded selfish, but sometimes a person needed to be selfish so they can become the best version of themselves. Barry called and talked to Oliver about it, and was informed that Oliver and come to basically the same conclusion and had started making changes in his live. Even Roy had changed jobs and started taking college classes. So, it was time for Barry to embark on a new adventure. He sat down and started making a list of what he wanted to do, things like traveling, maybe going back and getting is doctorate and of course meeting new people (females). The thought of developing new relationships was both exhilarating and terrifying. 

Barry went to Star Labs the next day and told Caitlyn and Cisco about his list. 

“Sounds wonderful” Caitlyn said “Maybe I should do that. I don’t know when or if Ronnie will come back.”

“I don’t know, um Barry have you really thought about being in a relationship, and I mean REALLY thought about it.”

Barry looked at Cisco in confusion, then Caitlyn clued him in “What he is getting at is we don’t know how your body will react in certain shall we say intimate situations.”

“You may have to picture your grandmother like all the time” Cisco said

Barry turned a deep read and told them that maybe everyone should take one step at a time. Shaking his head what they were saying, which he had not ever even thought about. The rest of his day was uneventful, normal routine, training, working at the station. That night he decided he was going to go out to a jazz club.

“Joe, you want to go to that new jazz club downtown tonight?

“Barry are you asking me out on a date?” Joe asked smiling

“You are not my type, just thought I would ask so you are not sitting here home all alone.” Barry said with a smile

The both started to laugh, “Give me a few minutes to change” Joe told him going up the stairs. 

Barry waited downstairs smiling and shaking his head, then he thought about his father sitting in prison and the smile instantly left his face, maybe he should stay home, work on getting his dad out, but his father told him to live his life so this is the start of him living his life. Joe came down a few minutes later and off they went.  
The club was just the right amount of busy, not to crowded where you couldn’t breathe because of all the people, but there were no empty tables. The music was great, he and Joe talked about the music, about basketball, actually they talked about everything except Iris, the Flash, and work. The musician had just taken a break when Barry decided to go to the bar and get another beer.

“You know, you might want to slow down on those.” Joe told him  
.  
Barry laughed before answering “Ah it doesn’t affect me, super-fast metabolism, can’t get drunk.”

“Really, not at all” Joe inquired.

“Nope, Caitlyn even brewed some special stuff and nothing.”

Joe sat shaking his head as he watched Barry walk to the bar, that boy has been through more in his short life than anyone should if they lived to be ninety he thought to himself.

“Pardon me, but do you have the time” Joe heard a soft voice ask, as he turned towards the voice he answered “Yes, it’s a little after 9” he went to say more but was rendered speechless by the owner of the voice.

“Thank you, I’m Lilian” she said sticking out her hand

Taking it Joe replied “Joe”. Barry looked back at the table and smiled when he saw Joe talking to the woman who was sitting at the table next to them. He gave the bartender his order and was waiting when he heard asked “So is your friend a creeper or a nice guy?”   
Barry choked a little and replied “I beg your pardon” as he turned to face the person asking the question.  
“Is your friend a good guy or do I need to hand my friend my taser” was the dead serious reply from the stunning brunette suddenly sitting next to him.  
Barry laughed “Definitely a good guy, no need for a taser” he said as he paid for his beer. She sat there looking at Barry for a moment then asked “Do you happen to have one of the new smart phones?”

“Yes I do, why?”

“Can I see it?”

“Okay, again why?”

The brunette did answer as she was typing something into her phone, when Barry set his phone down on the bar, she tapped her phone to his then said “There you now have my name and number, what you do with it is totally up to you.” She smiled and walked away. Barry looked at this phone and seen that her name was Linda and with a smile he walked back to his table. He and Joe enjoyed one more set and then decided to call it a night as both had work the next day. Barry left the club feeling optimistic about the future.


	5. Roy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy goes on a date with his study buddy.

Roy was getting into the swing of school. While english and math would never be his favorite subjects, he truly enjoyed his art class. He joined study groups for both english and math in fact several people he knew were in both; one of those was a young single mother named Lilly. Lilly reminded him a lot of Felicity, petite, blond, funny and smart. She was quiet though and really didn’t like to talk about herself that much. He had found out that she had a 9 month old little girl, father wasn’t around and she had no family. Roy was her sounding board, she would talk and he would listen, never giving his opinion unless specifically asked. Not that he really had any business giving people advice but it was nice to be occasionally asked. They were in the library studying one afternoon when her phone buzzed with a message. Her sitter was sick and she needed to go and pick up her little girl; as they had more studying to do Roy told her to bring her to the library. Lilly was worried that she would be a distraction and she didn’t want anyone else’s grades to suffer because they couldn’t study, Roy told her that it wouldn’t be a problem and to go get her daughter and come back. Her daughter was acute little blond named Frankie. Frankie became a regular at their study sessions and Roy began to talk more and more about her during his night job. Roy also made Frankie the subject of several of his art projects, he spent a great deal of time trying to capture the baby’s many facial expressions.   
One Friday, after a particularly grueling week, Roy asked Lilly if she would like to go out and unwind.

“I would love to, but I don’t have a sitter” she told him

“If I can find you a sitter, would you say yes” he asked

Nervously she replied “If you can find a sitter that I approve of, then yes I would like to go out with you.”

Roy smiled as he pulled out his phone and placed a call.

“Hello” Diggle’s voice came over the phone

“Dig, do you and Lyla have plans tonight?” Roy asked

“Just staying in” he said then continued with suspicion in his voice “why”

“Well, I was wondering if I could do me a favor, I would like to take my friend out tonight, but she does not have a sitter for her little girl and I was hoping that you and Lyla would be willing to watch her.” Roy asked holding his breath, waiting for the answer. The line was silent for a few minutes before Lyla came on and said “We would love to”

“Thanks, Lyla, we will see you guys in a little while” Roy told her. He turned to Lilly and told her about Diggle and Lyla. She remained unsure about leaving Frankie, but Roy assured her that there was no place safer in the city than with them. He finished the conversation by telling her that he would be picking her up at 6. As he began to walk away she called to him “Don’t you want my address?” He stopped turned and looked at her laughed and replied “That probably would be a good idea.” After giving it to him, they parted and each went to get ready for their date. Roy stopped by the Foundry before going and picking her up. Oliver was there packing up some of his things.

“Are you going somewhere?” Roy asked him.

“No just moving my stuff to my apartment” Oliver replied

“You sure Thea will want this stuff lying around” Roy asked

“Don’t know why it should bother her as it is my apartment and not hers” Oliver told him carrying boxes up the stairs and out the side entrance.

“Oliver, did you forget you live with Thea” Roy reminded him following him up the stairs.

“Not anymore, I found my own place and I want my things there, so give me a hand, will you?”

Roy helped Oliver load the rest of his things into the van before he left to pick up Lilly and Frankie. He looked around the basement before he left and it looked almost bare without his stuff. Roy made a note that the fern was still sitting on the metal work table, and how someone was going to be surprised when they showed up. Shaking his head, he ran up the stairs and to his car because he didn’t want to be late. Lilly was waiting for him at the door when he walked up. He reached to pick up Frankie in her carrier and took her out to his car; Lilly followed him with the diaper bag and her purse. Roy struggled to get the carrier in the car and finally laughing let Lilly fasten it down. He held her door for her and once she was in he closed the door and ran to driver’s side. They made small talk on the way to the Diggle’s house, mostly about school. When they arrived at the Diggle’s Roy went and opened her door and then reached in the back to unfasten Frankie; who was sleeping soundly. They walked up to the door and knocked, and before Roy could say anything the door was opened by John.

“Hi Digg, this is my friend Lilly and this little cutie is her daughter Frankie” Roy said

“Hello Lilly, please come in.” John replied

“Thank you so much for agreeing to watch Frankie” Lilly said nervously.

Lyla came into the room and after she was introduced to Lilly she said “I know how difficult it is to leave your baby with anyone, but trust me she will be just fine here. I think our daughter Sara will enjoy the company.”

Lilly got Frankie settled and the adults had be talking for a few minutes when Roy looked at his watch and told her they should get going. With a last look at Frankie and another assurance from both John and Lyla they left. Again the small talk in the car was mostly about school and Frankie. They arrived at the restaurant. 

“I thought we were going for burgers” Lilly told Roy.

“Well, this place happens to have some of the best burgers in town, not as good as Big Belly Burgers but close.” Roy explained.

The restaurant was nice, not overly crowded; they were shown to a booth near the back of the restaurant were Roy could watch who came in and out.  
Lilly watched him watching the door for a while before venturing to ask “Are you in some kind of trouble?”

Roy looked at her in surprise then answered “No, why would you ask that”

Lilly looked him straight in the eye and said “You are watching the door like you are expecting someone to walk through it. Tell me right now if you are in some kind of trouble or I will leave and take a cab to go get my daughter. I do not need trouble or drama in my life; I have had enough of that to last a lifetime.”

“Lilly” Roy started “I am not in trouble and please don’t leave. I have a night job where being aware and alert keep you alive.”

“Are you a cop?” she asked

“Good God no!” he told her

“Are you a private detective?”

With a smile he answered “No, let’s just say that I try and keep people safe. Let’s look at the menu and order, okay?”

Lilly picked up her menu decided what she wanted and then looked at Roy. He could feel her watching him and it unsettled him. Finally she spoke “If I asked you to tell me what your night job was, would you?” Roy set down his menu and looked at her before answering “No, so please don’t ask. I won’t lie to you but I won’t tell you what it is either.” He sat watching her while she digested what he said and he truly thought that she would get up and leave but when the waitress came back to take their order she said “I will have the bacon cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate shake”. Roy was surprised, so surprised in fact that he missed the waitress asking for his order the first time. While he gave it to her Lilly sat watching him, she figured out what his “night” job was, it really wasn’t that hard and she did appreciate that he wouldn’t lie to her about it, but she was concerned at the same time. Once the waitress left she took a deep breath and said “I appreciate that you won’t lie to me about it, and I think I know what it is, so how about I don’t ask so you don’t lie. I don’t know if this will go any further than tonight” Roy caught his breath and then she continued “but if it does and if at any time your night job spills over into your off duty hours you need to let me know. Frankie is and always will be my first concern and I will do anything to keep her safe.” Roy smiled, release his breath he had been holding and told her that he would make sure that nothing ever came close to her or Frankie. They talked more about themselves while they waited for their food. He told her about Thea, though not mentioning her name, and she finally told him about Frankie’s father. 

“Where is he” Roy asked.

“Don’t know, when I found out I was pregnant and told him, he laughed said it wasn’t his responsibility and walked away.” 

Roy didn’t know how to respond to that, he could not imagine walking away from his child. 

“It was worse with the parents. Mine were devastated that I would embarrass them by getting pregnant; his didn’t believe the child was his and called me a gold-digger.”

Before Roy could say anything else the waitress brought their food, so he waited. Once she was gone he asked “So what did you do?”

“Well at first I cried, then I thought about an abortion, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I listened to my father yell, my mother cry and then I just got mad. I was mad at them for their reaction, him for walking away and mostly at myself for letting this happen. After the anger subsided I packed my stuff and moved away, I decided I would start over someplace where no one knew me. I took the money my grandparents left me and came here, found a job, a place to live and the rest as they say is history” Lilly finished and then took a bite of her burger. Roy figured that they needed to lighten the mood so he told her to eat up so they could order desert. The conversation was safe and neutral from that point on, she talked about Frankie and he talked about Oliver and company, she laughed at his stories and told him that it sounded like he had a wonderful family. That statement caught him off guard because he had never really thought about it, but he guessed that they had become a family. Once they had finished with their meal, Lilly told him that it was getting late and they should go and get Frankie and head home. The ride back to the Diggle’s passed in an easy silence. When they knocked on the door Roy was surprised to see Oliver open the door. 

“Hey you two, back so soon” he said.

“What are you doing here” Roy asked as he and Lilly stepped in the house.

“Slow night so I came over to talk to Digg about some stuff and then I started to play with Sara and her new friend. I am Oliver by the way” Oliver said giving Roy a glare for his bad manners and extending his hand. Lilly shook it and replied “I’m Lilly”. The where chatting when Lyla and Digg came into the living room each carrying a baby; Lilly thought is looked strange to see a man as large as Diggle carrying such a little baby. 

“I hope she wasn’t any trouble” Lilly said reaching for Frankie.

“No she was an angle, she would probably be asleep if Oliver hadn’t shown up and started playing with them” Lyla said with a smile. The all laughed at that because honestly Lilly could not imagine Oliver playing with babies. The put Frankie in her car seat and said their goodbyes with Lilly thanking them again for watching Frankie.

“We will have to get them together again” Lyla said 

“That would be great” Lilly said walking down the sidewalk “Good night”

Once Frankie was in the car and secured, Lilly and Roy got in the front seat to head back to Lilly’s apartment. They were quiet in the car because the baby had fallen asleep almost instantly and they didn’t want to wake her. After they arrived back at the apartment Roy carried Frankie in for her. He set her down on the sofa and went over to the door. They stood their awkwardly before Roy placed a gentle kiss on Lilly’s cheek and said “Good night, I had a good time.”

“I did to, thank you” was Lilly’s reply.

“So I will see you on Monday in class”

“Sure, see you in class” Lilly said.

As Roy stepped out the door he turned and said “I am going to bring you some heavier locks for the front door.”

“You don’t need to do that”

“Yes, I do, you to need to be safe at night” and with that Roy went down the walk to his car whistling the entire time, and as Lilly closed and locked the door a small smile played across her lips.


	6. Oliver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver is making changes and finally getting somethings off his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure about the ending, but I hope you enjoy it. Let me know.

Oliver had been having some really good days of late. He started volunteering at the community center and had met some very nice people. He had a meeting with Walter and found out that he wasn’t totally broke. While he did not have the billions he had grown up with, he did have millions. This news made Oliver really happy, not because he missed the money but because of what he wanted to do with it. There was a building in the Glades for sale that would be perfect for his plans. He also quietly donated money to the community center or simple paid for things to be done. He really enjoyed working there, the people were amazing. Ella ran the children’s center and was always asking him to help with the younger boys, once she handed him a baby so she could scold said boys. Oliver caught himself going and checking on the babies, making sure they were all safe. Frank was in charge of maintenance, he grumbled that Oliver was useless at doing repairs but he was patient and taught Oliver the needed skills for basic maintenance. The ladies, as he like to call Ella, Gladys, Shirley, Rose and Martha, were in charge of everything else. The actually were able to get him to attend all kinds of classes, cooking and he found out that he love to cook, art classes which he was terrible at and lastly a dance class. At first he had resisted, telling them he could not dance.

“Well then this will be the perfect time to learn” Rose said

“Besides we need an additional male body” Gladys added.

Oliver reluctantly agreed and so began his class participation, every Tuesday he would be either Rose or Gladys’s partner. Occasionally the teacher Veronica would use him to demonstrate the next step; after several weeks he was beginning to get the hang of it. 

One day he overheard Shirley say how some of the kids were having trouble with their homework and how she wished she knew someone how could help. Oliver called Barry Allen and asked if he would be willing and able to come to Starling every couple of weeks and help the kids.

“Sure, no problem but Oliver you know you have a genius right there” Barry told him.

“I know, but things are weird between us right now and I don’t want to ask her” Oliver replied. Barry understood what he was trying to say, so he told him that he could be up the end of the week, if that worked. Oliver thanked him and then went and told Shirley that he had someone coming that could help the kids. She was thrilled and gave him a big hug and kiss on the cheek. Oliver smiled and went to find Frank to see if he needed any help. After spending the day at the center Oliver was walking to Verdant when he passed a vacant warehouse that was for sale. Standing there looking at it and idea came to him and the more he looked at the warehouse the more the idea took shape. He pulled out his phone and called the realtors number on the sign and waited for them to show up. Once the realtor arrived they went into the building. It wasn’t overly large, but the nice thing about it was that there was a living space. The realtor told him that actually the owner had wanted to turn the entire building into apartments but ran out of funding when investors pulled out due to the quake. Oliver looked around and smiled, this would be perfect for what he wanted to do, and he then turned to the realtor and said he would buy it at asking price. The man was surprised but quickly wrote the offer up and told Oliver he would present it to his client but that he didn’t see a problem. Oliver gave him his number shook his hand and proceeded to Verdant. He had only been in the club a short while when his phone rang, his offer had been accepted. Oliver made arrangements to meet with the realtor and buyer to finalize the deal two days from now. Oliver was in an extremely good mood when he went downstairs to get ready to go on patrol. When he got to the basement Felicity, John, Roy and Laurel were already there.

“Nice of you to join us” Felicity told him

“Is there a problem” he asked

“No, no problem at all, just the rest of us were here waiting on you” she said before adding “as usual” under her breath. Oliver chose to ignore that last statement and went to change and as he did so he began to whistle, which had everyone staring at him. He was still whistling when he came back and as he passed Roy he asked “Hey, how are you classes going?”

“Good, math is tough but I joined a study group and that’s helping” he replied

“Well if it gets to tough, you should think about getting a tutor” Oliver told him and he was about to continue when Felicity cut in and said “He doesn’t need a tutor, I am a genius and I can help him.”

Both Oliver and Roy looked at her before Roy said “Thanks Felicity, but if I need additional help, I think that I will just get a tutor from school.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I am more the qualified to help you with math and you won’t have to pay me” she told him while looking at the computer’s. 

“Ah, okay, umm, if I need any further help I will let you know. So you ready to go Oliver” Roy asked. Once they left Felicity couldn't shake the feeling that Roy didn’t want her help and she didn’t understand why. The rest of the night passed rather quickly, a few drug dealers left for the police and a drunk who thought it would be okay to use his girlfriend as a punching bag left at the hospital ER entrance. Felicity left to go home without speaking to Roy or Oliver again, but she could not shake the feeling of being left out.

The next morning Oliver had a talk with Thea over breakfast. He explained about the off shore accounts that they still had, and that he found another place to live and he would be moving out as soon as the place was ready. Thea began to object to him moving out, but he explained that he needed to be on his own to figure out who he was and who he wanted to be. Thea told him that she had begun to see a change in him, that in some ways he was the brother she remembered when she was younger, that somehow it seemed that his burden had lessened; but she didn’t understand why he couldn’t continue living with her while he figured things out.

“I need to be on my own, I am not shutting anyone out, and there are just some things I have to do on my own” Oliver told her.

“I don’t like it” Thea replied.

“You don’t have to like it, you just have to trust me” Oliver told her.

“I do trust you Ollie, it is just there are so many changes right now, Roy left me, now your leaving me” she told him sadly.

“I am not leaving you Speedy; I will always be here for you. As for Roy, he needed to do this for himself you know that” was Oliver’s reply.

“No, I don’t know that. All I know is that he quit and started taking classes and now I barely see him”

“Thea, if you miss him that much, tell him.”

“I need space, I don’t miss him. You just don’t understand” Thea told him angrily.

Oliver looked at his sister for a minute before saying “You’re right, I don’t understand, but this is something you and Roy will need to figure out. “ He leaned over kissed her on the head and told her that he would see her later. 

Oliver spent the day at the community center, helping kids, filling in in dance class, and thoroughly enjoying cooking class. He was looking at a home magazine when Shirley walked into the office.

“Planning on doing some decorating” she asked chuckling.

“Actually yes I am. I just found a new place over on 23rd and it needs some sprucing up” was Oliver’s reply.

Shirley stood watching Oliver look through the magazine. She knew who his parents were and what they had done to the Glades. When he had first come into volunteer, she had her doubts that he would actually be there, but he had shown her she was wrong. Oliver was at the center every day, doing whatever anyone asked of him. She also knew that he had started donating funds to the center or having things done, never really telling them where the money came from. Oliver felt her watching him and looked up and asked “What?” Shirley smiled and said “You’re a good man Oliver Queen.”

“Um, thank you” Oliver replied a little self-consciously. Shirley laughed at his discomfort and asked where his new place was, because the only thing on 23rd was the old warehouse that was for sale. When Oliver didn’t reply she looked at him with wide eyes and said “You didn’t”

“Yes I did, it was a nice living space and I am thinking of starting a business so it would be perfect” was his reply.

“Why type of business” she asked.

“One that utilizes my particular set of skills” was all the Oliver said.

“Well you let us know if you need any help, the ladies and I can come over and get your place set to rights” Shirley told him.

Oliver smiled and thanked her then went back to his magazine. Shortly thereafter his phone rang, it was the realtor setting the time for the meeting tomorrow, and the seller preferred the mornings so Oliver agreed to 9 am. As he disconnected the call he overheard the ladies saying how the computers the kids used for their homework so outdated and they kept breaking down an idea came to him. He picked up his phone and made a call.

“Palmer Technologies, how may I direct your call?” 

“Yes, I would like to speak with Ray Palmer please” Oliver said. 

“One moment please.”

Oliver was listening to the music when he heard “Ray Palmer’s office”

“Yes, this is Oliver Queen and I was wondering if Mr. Palmer had any time available tomorrow to meet with me.”

“Excuse me, did you say this is Oliver Queen and you would like to meet with Mr. Palmer tomorrow?”

“Yes, does he have anytime available” Oliver requested again.

“Just a moment sir”

Once again Oliver was on hold listening to music. He lost count on the number of songs he had listened to and was about to hang up when he heard “Ray Palmer speaking”

Taken by surprise Oliver answered “Ray, this is Oliver Queen I was wondering if we could meet tomorrow, I have something I want to talk to you about.”

“If this is regarding Felicity” Ray started to say before Oliver cut him off by saying “It has absolutely nothing to do with Felicity; it’s more of a technology discussion.”  
“Okay, I have some time at 11:30 am, would that do.”

“Perfect” Oliver replied “I will see you then.”

Oliver hung up with a smile on his face. Though truthfully he didn’t know what made him smile more, what he was going to ask or the fact that Ray didn’t know why Oliver wanted to meet. The rest of the day and night passed swiftly. The next morning he was dressed in his best suit and out the door before Thea was even up. He left her a note that he would see her later in the day and headed to the realtor’s office. He met Walter at the office to get the bank draft and asked him to stay and go over the papers with him. Walter was please and together they went over the sale documents. Everything appeared to be in order and once Oliver signed the papers and handed them the bank draft the realtor handed him the keys and Oliver had a new home/business space. Oliver rode back to the bank with Walter and then walked to Palmer Technologies from there. Once in the lobby he went to the reception desk and told him that he had an 11:30 meeting with Mr. Palmer. The security guard cleared him for the elevators and up Oliver went. It seemed strange to be back in the building and he was sure some people recognized him, but really he didn’t care. He got off the elevator and stepped up to the EA’s desk.

“Oliver Queen to see Mr. Palmer”

“Yes sir, if you will just follow me” the EA said taking him to Ray’s office.

The office had once been Oliver’s fathers and it was more than a little disconcerting to see Ray sitting behind the desk.

“Oliver, I am surprised that you wanted this meeting” Ray said coming from around his desk to shake Oliver’s hand.

“I will get right to the reason of this meeting. The community center in the glades has a room where kids can go and do homework while they wait for their parents to get off work. The computers are old and outdated. I am asking that you think about possibly donating funds to purchase new computers and software to help the kids with homework.”

Ray was speechless; of all of the scenarios he had run through his head since Oliver had first called, this was not it. “Wow, this really wasn‘t about Felicity” Ray said.

Oliver looked puzzled when he replied “I told you when I called that it wasn’t about her.”

“I know, but I just thought it was a ploy to get here” Ray stated then stopped when he realized how stupid that sounded.

“So back to computers and software, would you be willing to make a donation to the center.”

Ray sat a moment watching Oliver and Oliver’s eye contact never wavered from Ray’s. Finally Ray answered “I can do better than funds, I will donate 20 laptops with the most current educational software installed. You should probably have them in about three weeks.”

Oliver smiled stood shook Ray’s hand thanked him and walked out of the office. As he was leaving Felicity was walking up and he said “Ms. Smoak” as he passed her. Felicity was surprised to see Oliver there and her eyes followed him to the elevator. Once he was inside she turned back to as Ray what he had been doing there but Ray had started another meeting, so she was left wondering what had happened. She made a mental note to ask Oliver about it when she saw him in the lair that night. The only people that she saw that night were Laurel, Diggle, Roy and Barry who stopped by to say hi. He told her he had been in town to see Oliver and thought he would stop by and see her. Again Felicity wondered what was going on, that Barry was here to see Oliver and it wasn’t about either Flash or Arrow.  
The following week passed quickly for Oliver, the improvements to the apartment were completed and by Friday he was moving in. He had already taken his things from Thea’s over and was at the lair when Roy came in. He explained to Roy that he had gotten a new place, but he didn’t mention his other idea to him yet, he wanted to talk to Diggle about it first. Roy helped him load his stuff in the van before he left to go on his date. Oliver was happy for Roy, while he knew Thea would not be thrilled that Roy was dating Oliver was; Roy deserved to find happiness. Oliver went and made one last sweep of the lair, checking to make sure he had gotten everything when his eyes landed on the fern. He remember when he first noticed that she had brought is down here, to spruce things up she had said. With a sad smile on his face he turned and headed back up the stairs leaving the fern where it was. It was time for Oliver to start fresh, to start living his life. That night after he had put everything away at his place, checked to see how things were at the lair, he went over to Diggs and Lyla to talk to them about his idea. When he arrived he saw that they were watching another baby, Lyla told him that Frankie was the daughter of the woman Roy had taken out. Oliver helped with the babies, entertaining them while the Diggle’s fixed dinner. Over dinner Oliver told them about his idea of starting a security company. Not event security but a personal security company. Diggle agreed that it would utilize Oliver’s unique skill set.

“I would like you to think about being my partner John” Oliver told him.

Digg was stunned. “Oliver, I don’t know what to say. Is this to replace our night activities?”

“No, not at all this will be totally separate. “ Oliver went on to describe his plans for the company. Diggle told Oliver that he would need to think about it, and Oliver told him that that was fine and he should take all the time he needed. The babies started getting fussy and John and Lyla went to get them. As there were in changing babies there was a knock on the door. When he answered it he found Roy and his date, Lilly, standing there. They talked for a short while before Roy and Lilly took her daughter Frankie home. Oliver stayed for a little while longer talking to Lyla and Digg then he too said his goodbyes and went home. After Oliver had left Lyla turned to John and said “Why did you tell him you would think about it, you know you want to do this.”

“No I need to think about it”

“Johnny, Oliver is not the only one whose unique skill set would be perfect for this. Do it” Lyla told him be kissing him and saying goodnight. John smiled and followed his wife to bed.

The next night John, Oliver and Roy all met outside Verdant and were talking as then went down the stairs to the basement. They were discussing how cute Frankie was when then noticed Felicity and Thea were standing there with their arms crossed. Oliver looked at them and asked “What’s wrong?”  
“What is going on Oliver” Thea asked.

“What do you mean; we were coming to do patrols tonight.”

“That is not what I am asking. Where is your stuff, I came down to see if you needed anything and everything was gone. Also where do you go all day, what are you doing.”

“It is at my apartment, why are you so angry and why do you want to know what I have been up to.” he asked Thea realizing Felicity had been very quiet.

"Because you are my brother and I love you. Something is going on that you are not telling me and you promised no more secrets." Thea said angrily

"Thea, what is it you think I kept from you."

"Where are you living, I don't have your address or even know where the place is"

"I just moved in yesterday and I haven't seen you to give you my new address and besides I am not a child that you need to keep tabs on."

“Why were you at Palmer Technologies last week” Felicity asked.

“I had a meeting with Ray”

“About?”

“Nothing that concerns you, I needed to speak with Ray, so I made an appointment, met with him end of story. Why am I having this discussion with you?” Oliver was starting to lose his patience; he did not understand why he was being grilled. Felicity and Thea looked at one another before Felicity went on  
“Something is going on Oliver and we want to know what it is.”

“Nothing is going on and my life is not up for discussion. Thea I love you, you are my baby sister not my keeper” Oliver said and he turned to Felicity “My life and what I do with it is no concern of yours.”

Felicity was surprised at what he said and then she got angry “I think I do have a concern, we are supposed to be partners” and before she could go any further Oliver stopped her by saying “We are partners in this, not in my life outside of this. You made that very clear when I came back. You made a decision that you didn’t want to be a part of my life remember.” Felicity was taken aback by the tone he was using with her; he had never spoken to her this way before. “Oliver I understand” she started to once again only to be cut off by Oliver saying “You understand what exactly” 

“How you are feeling after facing Ra’s”

“No you don’t” Oliver told her trying to keep his anger under control

“Yes, I do” Felicity said fiercely.

Oliver looked at her for a minute and something in her eyes caused his control over his anger to break  
“NO YOU DON’T” he yelled causing her and the others to jump. He took a deep breath before continuing “You weren’t there! You were not the one that had a sword run through your chest! You were not the one thrown off a mountain! You were not the one whose whole life flashed before their eyes and the last thought you had was of the woman you love only to have said woman tell you when you came back from the dead that she did not want to be a woman that you loved. And why did she say that you might ask, because she would not let you explain that the only way you knew how to save your last remaining blood family member was to work with the person that caused the mess in the first place.” Everyone was stunned into silence. Oliver took several deep breaths before he continued “You made a choice that night Felicity and it ripped my heart out, but I have tried to respect it. Now I am trying to move on with my life, I would hope that if you ever cared about me at all you would respect my choice.” Having finished speaking Oliver looked at both Felicity and Thea he turned and went back up the stairs and no one moved until they heard the door shut at the top. Roy was the first to move, looking at Thea and shaking his head before he too went up the stairs. John looked at Felicity waiting for her to say something and when she didn’t he too shook his head turned and left. Felicity and Thea were left in the deafening silence, and that would be where Laurel found them a short time later.


	7. Barry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry finds happiness.

Barry waited exactly two days before calling Linda Park, the woman from the jazz club. They agreed to go for lunch. He was surprised that she worked at the same paper that Iris did, but Linda was in sports while Iris was working the city desk. Their first date was at a place called The Crazy Taco. Linda loved spicy food and this was her favorite restaurant. It was nice, talking to someone new, learning about them. Barry loved Linda’s zest for life; she was so different from anyone he knew. She asked about his family and he told her that his mother had been killed when he was younger and he also told her that his father was in prison for it.

“Do you hate him” she asked.

“No, I don’t believe he did it. I never have” Barry answered.

“Do you see your dad often?”

“I go and see him every couple of weeks. He doesn’t want me to visit more than that. He also told me I shouldn’t tell you about him; said it would be a deal breaker.”

When she answered that it wasn’t Barry let out the breath he didn’t know he had been holding. Unfortunately their lunch had to come to an end and Iris was in the lobby of the paper when he walked her back to the office. 

“Hi, Barry” Iris greeted him

“Hey Iris, Well Linda I will leave you to get back to work and I will talk to you soon.”

“By Barry, talk to you soon” was Linda’s reply as she kissed his cheek.

Barry was smiling all the way back to the precinct. Barry and Linda went on several more dates that were unfortunately interrupted by meta-humans. It seemed like the universe was conspiring against him ever having a life. After the fourth date being interrupted and Barry running out of excuses Linda decided to pull the plug on any relationship and Barry really couldn’t blame her. He traveled to Starling a couple of times to help Oliver at the center and he was glad to see that his friend was starting to have a life. Unfortunately his other friend, Felicity, was not happy with Oliver, mostly because she did not know what was going on in his life; Barry really hoped that one day they would be able to work it out. 

Barry was getting ready to leave Star Labs one night when he noticed that he and Caitlyn were the only two left.

“What are you up to” he asked her.

“Nothing just thought I would stay and get some work done. I don’t have anything else to do since Ronnie came back and then had to leave again” she said sadly

Barry silently considered her for a few minutes and then he walked over to her, pulled back her chair and said “Come on, I will buy you dinner.”

Caitlyn hesitated slightly then stood up, grabbed her coat and purse and was following Barry out the door when she asked “Can we take my care, I don’t think I can take super speed on a full stomach.”

Barry laughed and agreed to use her car. They chose to go to Big Belly Burger, not the healthiest but it was something they both enjoyed. Barry realized that he really didn’t know that much about Caitlyn and he decided that was something that needed to be corrected. They sat and talked long after they had finished eating neither paying attention to time. Barry really didn’t know how long they had been there when a worker came and told them that it was time to close and they would have to leave. Caitlyn went to drive him home and he told her just to drive to her apartment and he would run home from there. At first she objected and Barry reminded her that he would be home before she even turned her lights on. She laughed and the agreed, once there Barry saw her to the door and told her he would see her the next day.

“Call me when you get home” she told him “I don’t want to worry.”

Laughing Barry answered “You don’t need to worry about be remember I’m the Flash.”

“You need to remember I am your doctor, so call”

Barry left and before she even turned on her light in the living room her phone rang.

“Your home” she asked not even saying hello.

“Yes, I’m home. Did you lock your front door” Barry said laughing.

“Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow Barry.”

“Good night Caitlyn” Barry said

“Good night Barry” was her reply.

Barry hung up the phone smiling.

The next day it was obvious that a definite shift in their relationship had occurred. They teased and joke with each other more. They went to dinner several times the following week. Caitlyn even came over and had dinner with Joe and Barry. There wasn’t anything they couldn’t talk to each other about, whether it was meta-humans or police work; they could just be themselves and Barry like that. She knew who he was so there were no secrets between them. The only issue there seemed to be really wasn’t an issue between them but between Barry and Iris. Things had been strained ever since that Christmas he told her he had always loved her. She had moved in with Eddy and Barry was truly happy for them but the relationship was still strained. One Tuesday Barry was getting ready to leave to meet Caitlyn and Iris walked in with her arms full of groceries. 

“Hey Iris” Barry greeted her and then said “Joe, I will see you later”

“See you later Barry” Joe replied

“Where are you going” Iris asked

“I have a date and as usually I am running late”

“Barry you know you don’t have to leave or make excuses when I come over” Iris told him

“I am not making excuses, I have a date.”

Joe was listening to the exchange and was concerned about the tone his daughter was using.

“I came over to make spaghetti; like I do every Tuesday and again you are leaving.”

“Iris we will talk later, I have to go.” Barry told her as he walked out the door and in a flash he was gone.

Iris stood there looking at the door and then turned to her father, looking for some explanation.

“I don’t know who she is, but he has been seeing her for a few weeks now, it might be getting serious” Joe said.

“No way, Barry would tell me if he was dating someone and he hasn’t said a word” Iris said

“Iris Barry doesn’t tell you everything.”

“He is my best friend; he would tell me if he was seeing someone.”

That night Barry and Caitlyn enjoyed dinner and a movie and it was as they were walking home from the movie that Barry stopped faced Caitlyn, framed her face with his hands and gently kissed her. As he pulled back from the kiss he opened his eyes while hers remained closed; finally she opened her eyes and smiled at him and leaned forward to kiss him. When they finally game up for air they smiled at one another turned and continued on their way home. When they reached Caitlyn’s apartment she went to invite him in when his phone buzzed, Joe. With another kiss she unlocked her door and as he turned to leave she told him to call; before the whole sentence was out of her mouth her phone rang. She laughed when she heard him tell her that he was home and he would talk to her tomorrow.

When Barry hung up he looked at Joe and asked “What’s up?”

“Iris, you need to talk to Iris.”

Barry took a deep breath and told Joe that he would speak with her tomorrow. Barry sent her a text asking her to meet him at Jitters in the morning for coffee so they could talk. With that he went to bed and when he dreamed that night it wasn’t of a man in a yellow suit or even Iris; was of a beautiful doctor who had started out as his friend.  
Barry was already drinking his coffee at Jitter when Iris came in; she got her coffee and joined him. He decided that getting right to the point was best.

“Iris, you remember when I told you that I loved you”

“Yes, I remember but Barry I am with Eddy now” Iris replied

“That’s right you are with Eddy and I can see how extremely happy you are and I am happy that you are so happy. Iris, while I will always love I am not in love with you. In fact I have been seeing someone, and I think you would like her” Barry told her and then he continued telling her all about Caitlyn without telling Iris her name. Iris could see the light in Barry’s eyes when he spoke about the mystery woman and a small part of her was angry that he had moved on, but mostly she was happy for her best friend, because if anyone deserved to be happy it was Barry. While they were talking Caitlyn came into pick up coffee, she saw the two of them talking and without really thinking about it, and she went over and placed a kiss on his cheek and told him good morning. With a huge smile on his face Barry returned her kiss and told her good morning, totally forgetting that Iris was there. Iris was dumbfounded; Barry’s mystery woman was none other than Dr. Caitlyn Snow.


	8. Oliver makes a friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver continues on his journey and makes a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I should be writing about Roy this chapter but every time I tried it just kept going to Oliver.

That night was a turning point for Oliver. He made the decision that he was going to live his life and not hide in the foundry or behind ARROW any more. He hoped that someday he and Felicity could find their way back to one another, but if they didn’t that would be okay. John had caught up with him that night right after he had left. He tried to explain to Oliver why she acted and said the things she did and Oliver told him to stop, that he knew why things were the way they were, he knew why she said the things she did; but it didn’t change the fact that Oliver also felt that she backed away as well.

“She loves you man, she is trying to make sense out of everything” John had told him.

Oliver took a deep breath looked John in the eye and said “Everyone says that she loves me but you know what SHE has never once said it. I think that everyone may be wrong about that” and then he walked away leaving John to watch after him. Oliver did a lot of thinking as he walked back to his new home. He was more determined than ever to change his life and for the first time in years nightmares did not wake Oliver Queen up as he slept that night.  
The next morning Oliver went to the community center and when he walked in he could hear everyone laughing in the office. He walked around the corner and saw what everyone was laughing about.

“Where did those come from” he asked pointing to a box of Labrador puppies.

As he knelt down Frank replied “Found them outside this morning, someone just left them here.”

A little yellow puppy came over to Oliver and tried to crawl into his lap. “That one likes you Oliver” Ella told him. Oliver smiled and picked up the puppy, it started to lick his face and he laughed. After a few minutes he set the puppy down, stood up and asked “What are you going to do with them?”

“Well most likely I will take them to the shelter and hopefully they can find homes for them” Frank said.

Oliver nodded his head and turned to head to the maintenance room, he wanted to paint the new computer room before the computers arrived. As he walked down the hall he heard a crying sound, turning around he noticed that the little yellow puppy was following him. Smiling he picked the puppy up and carried it back to the office. “This one escaped” he told the ladies and Frank. Setting the puppy back in the box he once again headed for the maintenance room. He found the paint and rollers and started painting. He has the room almost done when he once again heard a faint crying sound, putting the roller down he walked into the hallway and again there was the yellow puppy. As he bent to pick it up Ella walked up “That puppy wants to be with you Oliver, I think it’s a sign” she said then turned and waked away. Oliver stood there holding the puppy for a while. Finally he took the puppy into the room with him, blocked an area off for it to play in, while he finished painting. When he finished painting and cleaning everything up, he grabbed is jacket and the puppy and started to leave. He stopped by the office and told Frank that he was done painting the room and that it needed to dry so he was heading out.

“Where are you taking that” Frank asked point to the puppy.

“Vets to have it checked out and then home. It seems that we were destined for each other.”

Frank laughed and told Oliver he would see him later. Oliver left using his phone to find a veterinary office that wasn’t too far away. He found one that was only a few blocks away so he began walking. Once there he asked if he could have the puppy checked out. The receptionist told him to have a seat and the doctor would be with him shortly. Soon he was called back into the examination room and again he and the puppy waited, finally the doctor walked in.

“So, Mr. Queen you have a puppy you want checked out. Is there something you think is wrong?” the older man asked.

“No not really, it is just that a box of puppies was left at the community center and this little one seems to believe we belong together. I thought that I would make sure everything is okay and get some tips on what to feed it and things like that.” 

“It, you called it IT, what is the animals name” the doctor asked.

“It doesn’t have one yet, I don’t even know if it is a male or female.”

“Well, let’s have a look shall we” the vet said taking the puppy and turning it over “female."

Oliver stared at the little female puppy and started to laugh. The veterinarian looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Olicity, her name is Olicity.” Oliver told him. The doctor wrote down the name on the form and then proceeded to examine the puppy.

“Well, she seems to be in good shape, I will give her a couple of shots and you should be good to go.” The doctor said. After giving the shots he told Oliver to buy a decent dog food, “nothing with filler” he said “also, make sure she has plenty of water, exercise and love. If you have any problems just bring her in” and as Oliver went to leave the doctor continue “It was a good thing you did taking her, if she ended up in a shelter she most likely would have been euthanized.” Oliver didn’t want to think that the adorable puppies he had seen this morning would be euthanized because they couldn’t find any one to take them. He stopped by a pet store to buy dog food. He left there with a collar, personalized name tag, leash, several toys, food and water bowls and a bed. He could barely carry everything and her but he managed. He had just walked in when his phone started ringing, looking at it he seen that it was John Diggle.

“Hey Digg, what’s up” he asked setting Olicity down so she could explore.

“Where are you?”

“Just got home, is something wrong?”

“Everything is good, I was wondering if I could stop by and talk” John said.

“Sure, you know where it’s at right” Oliver replied

“Oliver, the building takes up almost an entire block, I think I can find it, see you soon.”

Oliver disconnected the call and turned to see where she had gotten to, it seems he should have set her down outside. He quickly grabbed some paper towels to clean up the mess and then put one of the training pads he had also been told he would definitely need down close to the door. He went then and set up her bed next to his, placed the food and water bowls in the kitchen, not knowing if that was a good place or not, grabbed a water out of the refrigerator, went and sat down on the couch and began looking over his business plan. Olicity tried to crawl up on the couch with him and when she couldn’t she curled up by his feet. He was still making notes when there was a knock on the door. He was careful not to step on her when he stood to answer the door. As he opened the door to greet John and Olicity came running up and started to bark. John looked down in surprise at the puppy and then back up to Oliver.

“Well, you always did have a thing for blondes, what’s its name” John asked.

Oliver laughed before stepping back and replying “Olicity, HER name is Olicity.”

“Are you serious” John asked his voice full of amusement.

“Yes, yes I am, can I get you something to drink?”

John accepted a bottle of water and then sat down to talk to Oliver.

“I have been thinking about the business you are starting and if you mean that we will be equal partners then I would like to move forward with it.”


	9. Roy becomes a Partner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy's life is getting better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, but life has a habit of getting in the way of things. Enjoy and as always comments are welcomed.

Roy once again checked the message Oliver had sent him. He wanted Roy to meet with him and John. The address he had given him was an old warehouse. He was standing in front of a small door with a keypad lock on it. After reading the message again, he punched in the last set of number Oliver had sent. The lock on the door clicked and Roy pulled it open and stepped inside. He could here Oliver and John talking and then a small dog ran up to him. Roy bent and picked the animal up and carried it where John and Oliver were standing.

“Is this ferocious beast yours” Roy asks with a grin.

Oliver smiles and reaches over the take the puppy from Roy. Roy then asks “So where are we and why are we here.  
”  
“Follow me” Oliver said walking towards his apartment. When they walked through the door that separated the two spaces Roy was surprised.

“This is where you live now?”

“Yes, this is home and soon to be work as well. That is why we wanted you to meet us here” Oliver responded. “We have a proposition for you; I would like you to design the logo for the outside of the building and our new business.”

“New business” Roy asked

Oliver and John looked at one another before John answered “Oliver has asked me to be a partner in a new business.”

Roy stood silently staring at the two men. He didn’t know what to make of their new business arrangement and in a strange way he felt hurt, that they would move on without him.   
“That’s great and of course I will design your new logo” He told them, trying to sound happy for them but failing miserably. 

Oliver chuckled and walked over to Roy and put his hand on his shoulder “Roy, we want you to be a partner as well. I mean, I couldn’t not even think of doing this without both of you.”

Roy looked at Oliver, he could not believe what he had just heard, he gaze then went to John and when John nodded his head Roy knew that it must be true. “Um, I don’t know what to say”

“Well, yes would be a good place to start” John said with a laugh.

“Yes, of course, what is the business and what were you thinking for a logo?” 

“First let’s talk wages. In the beginning it won’t be much say double what you are making teaching fitness classes but once we start getting clients it will be a third of the profits. The business will utilize our unique skill sets, I am thinking specialized security. Also, what do you both think about staying with the whole arrow theme? Say something like Arrow, Inc. or just Arrow” Oliver said.

John laughed before saying “I like the whole Arrow thing, either would work, Roy what are your thoughts?”

Roy was processing the whole third of the profits statement and didn’t hear John until he repeated what he had said. “I don’t care whatever you two want is fine” Roy answered.  
Oliver and John both looked at him thoughtfully before Oliver spoke “No Roy, it isn’t whatever we want. You are a partner, you need to be in on the decision making process. This only works if we each voice our opinions and come to an agreement about what to do.”

Roy thought a moment before answering “Okay, then I say just stick with Arrow, people will wonder but it is simple and memorable. For the logo, what do you two think about a stylized A, something like maybe an arrowhead.”

Oliver and John thought the suggestion over and like his take on the logo, Oliver told him to draw somethings up so they could choose. Then the three of them went back out into the warehouse and Oliver shared how he thought they could set everything up. There would be three offices, one of each of them, a main conference room to meet clients in. Also a training area and a storage area for their gear; they would also need a communication room and a communication specialist. 

“Isn’t Felicity going to be our tech and communications person” Roy asked.

“Felicity has a job, she works for Palmer. This is our business and totally separate from our night time activities, at least for now it is” Oliver said.

“Well, where should we look for someone, if we aren’t going to ask Felicity” Roy asked.

“Maybe we could ask her how to go about finding someone with her skill set” John volunteered.

Roy thought this would be a great idea; he just didn’t want to be the one to ask her. Things between the sexes of team arrow had been strained lately and he didn’t want to be the one to make it worse. 

“That is a good idea Roy, but let’s wait a little while before we ask her” Oliver said.

Roy smiled knowing that Oliver was as uneasy about asking her as he way. He then checked his watch and noted that it was time for him to head to class. He told them he would talk to them later and he left. He could not believe that soon he would be a partner in a business with the two men he respected most.   
Roy had a hard time concentrating on class but he was able to pay attention enough to take decent notes. Lilly kept looking at him trying to figure out what was going on. As they walked out of class she finally asked “Is everything all right?”

“Sure why” was Roy’s reply

“You seemed awfully distracted in class.”

“Just a lot on my mind. I can’t believe the semester is half over all ready” Roy told her.

“I know, time to think about registering for summer and fall classes.” Lilly told him.

Roy looked at her in surprise “I thought you would take the summer to be with Frankie” he said.

“As much as I would like to spend all my time with Frankie, I need to find a job for the summer especially now.” Lilly told him.

“What happened?” 

“Money issues, my grant for school was only good for 2 semesters, so I will reapply but a job would be better.”

“Well if I hear of anything I will let you know” he started to say the stopped and added “Hey, can you teach fitness classes?”

“I taught some before Frankie, why?”

“I may know of an opening. I am leaving the place where I teach. I will tell them about you and give them your number, if that’s okay with you.”

“Thanks Roy, that is really nice, I guess then all I have to do is register for classes.” Lilly smiled at him and continued "I like having someone to talk things over with."

Roy laughed "What Frankie doesn't give good advice?"

Laughing Lilly answered "Not yet, maybe someday" and then preceded to talk about what classes she might take that summer.

Roy thought for a minute, he really should look at taking some classes this summer as well, maybe he would talk to Oliver and John about it. The continued to walk to the community center so she could pick of Frankie. The little girl came running to Roy the minute she saw him. She held her arms up, indicating she wanted him to pick her up, and when he did she gave him a loud kiss on the cheek, causing everyone within hearing distance to laugh. In Roy’s opinion his life couldn’t be any better.


	10. Oliver talks to Felicity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy and Diggle are glad that it is Oliver that has to talk to Felicity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait, but life has a way of changing the best of plans. I hope you enjoy, and as always I love hearing your comments.

Oliver sat in the new Arrow conference room listening to John and Roy; they were discussing the differences between the logos Roy had drawn up. Roy had done an amazing job, and things were moving forward with the company. Oliver realized that they needed to get their tech and communications person hired. He really didn’t want to ask Felicity but really she was the best resource at their disposal, hopefully she would stop being mad at him long enough to give him a contact person. Oliver suddenly noticed that the room was quiet and he saw both John and Roy staring at him. 

“Sorry, did I miss something” He asked

“Well, Just that we have narrowed it down to these two, so which one do you like” was Roy’s reply.

Oliver looked at the two designs, they were almost identical, but the one he would choose if it was just his decision was the one where the A was shaped like an arrow head and the cross bar of it was an arrow, plus it was done in green. 

‘I am partial to the one on the right, what about you two” 

John and Roy were silent and then they started to laugh. “I told you he would pick that one” John said to Roy. Thankfully they both agreed that it was their choice as well. 

“Now that that is settled, I think it is time to tackle our last personnel problem.”

The smiles instantly left the others face, “who is the poor unfortunate soul that will be speaking with Ms. Smoak” John asked

Taking a deep breath Oliver replied that he would, know that it was going to be difficult but that was nothing new with them these days. Even saying good evening seemed to start a fight and frankly Oliver was tired of fighting with her.

“When” Roy asked

“Soon, we need to get it nailed down and the tech needs to be up and running so that we can start getting clients.”

John and Roy shook their heads in agreement, both of them internally thanking god that it would not be them talking to her, they certainly didn't want to be on the receiving end of her loud voice. Later that afternoon as the three of them walked down the stairs into the foundry Roy expressed his relief that it was not him doing the talking to Felicity.

“Oliver I am glad that you stepped up and volunteered to speak with her. I don’t know how she will react when you ask her about needing to hire a new tech person.” 

John joined in and added that he too was glad that it was going to be Oliver, because as of now John was then only Felicity was not mad at. Unfortunately for the three of them the person in question was already there and had heard their conversation. To say that she was shocked was an understatement. She had known that things were tense between team members these days, but she would never had thought that Oliver was going to ask her to leave and on top of that ask her to name a replacement. The men came to a stop when they saw her sitting at her computers watching them coming down the stair. By the look on her face they knew she had heard them. John and Roy took turns patting Oliver on the shoulder and quickly turned and went back up the stairs.

Oliver and Felicity stared at one another for a few minutes before Oliver finally broke the silence. “I’m glad you’re here, I need to ask you something.”

“So I heard” she said quietly

The tone of voice alerted Oliver to what she was thinking “It isn’t what you think Felicity”

“Really, what is it that I am thinking then “anger evident in her reply

“You think that I am going to ask you to name a replacement for you, that I want you to leave the team”

She was shocked that he knew exactly what she was thinking, that had been so out of tune lately she really didn’t know how to process that he had gotten it right. Maybe there was hope for them still.

“I do need to you to tell me who the second best IT person is though”

“Why?’

“Because I want to interview them and hopefully hire them”

“So you do want me to leave then”

“No, I am starting a security company with Dig and Roy as my partners and we need a top notch tech and communications person.”

“I could do it for you” 

“NO” was Oliver’s reply, said with such force it made Felicity flinch. At that moment she realized just how wide the divide between them had gotten. There had been a time when he would have done anything for her help. Now he looked so uncomfortable just being in the same room with her.

“Oliver” she said softly “How did we get to this point?”

Oliver looked at her with such sadness in his eyes, that it almost made her weep “I don’t know. I said things, you said things, choices were made and now we have to live with those choices. I know you don’t agree with what I have done or what I am doing and I respect that. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy Felicity, you need to believe that. You have a wonderful new job, one that you were born to have.“

“I do believe that you only want to be happy, but why won’t you let me help”

“Because you can’t; you have a life with Ray now, I can see that he makes you happy, you have moved on, so now it is time for me to move on as well. I still need to protect my family” he said softly looking into her eyes before continuing “both by blood and by choice. I need to know that whatever happens to me that you are out there living your life. The life you have always dreamed about. So please who is the second best person and how do I get in touch with them.”

Felicity looked deep into Oliver eyes, she saw the resolve and sadness there, and she saw that he was determined to move on, to leave her behind. No, that wasn’t fair, he wasn’t leaving her behind she had played a part in all of this; she too had made choices that she now had to live with. Taking a deep breath she gave him the name of one of her former professors.

“Tell him I gave you his number and that you are looking for another Felicity Smoak” she told Oliver.

Oliver took the piece of paper with the name and number on it and as he turned to go suit up for the evening he stopped and said “There is not going to be another Felicity, you are an original and there is no way on earth that god created two of you.”

Felicity gave him a watery smile before turning back to her computers. With one last look at her Oliver turned and went to suit up. He felt a certain peace inside that they had been able to talk to each other without anger and hurt. Maybe someday they would be able to find their way back to each other, but until then there was a city to protect and a business to get up and running and for now that was enough.


	11. Barry/Iris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More about how Iris deals with Barry's new love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, sorry for the delay. I know the title is Just Guyes but I felt compelled to write about how Iris is feeling and most likely will eventually do one about Felicity and Thea. Please feel free to send comments, I love reading them all.

Iris was shocked that Barry’s mystery woman was Dr. Caitlyn Snow. As Barry and Caitlyn talked, totally forgetting that she was there, Iris began to get angry and she wasn’t completely sure as to why she was getting angry. She wanted her best friend to be happy and Caitlyn obviously made him happy, so why was she feeling hurt and angry? She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t hear Barry calling her name.

“IRIS” he said loudly

Startled she snapped “What?”

Barry, taken aback by her tone said “Caitlyn and I are taking off. I am going to walk her to Star Labs.”

Iris was dumbfounded, he was ditching her “Barry, we aren’t don’t with our conversation” she told him.

Barry, looked from Iris to Caitlyn and then back to Iris before replying “Yes we are. See you later.” Then he took Caitlyn’s arm and started for the door. Iris was speechless and as she watched them walk out the door she heard Caitlyn say “Bye Iris”. Iris’s anger simmered all morning, she just couldn’t believe that her best friend ditched her like that. When she realized that she was snapping at people at work she knew she needed to talk to someone. Unfortunately the person she normally talked to was the one she needed to talk about. She didn’t want to call Eddy because she didn’t think he would understand, heck she didn’t understand why she was angry. So she called her dad “Hey Dad” she said when he answered the phone.

“Hi, honey, what’s up?” was Joe’s reply

“Are you free for lunch?”

Joe knew, like every parent knows, that something was wrong “Totally free, where would you like to meet or do you want me to pick you up?”

“How about meeting me at the little place between the paper and precinct?”

“Okay, how about I meet you there in say 15 minutes?”

“That would be perfect, see you soon.”

Joe hung up and wondered about what was bothering Iris. Just then Barry walked up to his desk, “Joe, I wanted to let you know that I spoke to Iris this morning and everything is fine” and before Joe could ask any questions Barry turned and walked up the stairs to his lab.  
Joe suddenly knew what was wrong. Barry may think everything is fine but Iris certainly did not. Joe shook his head and when back to his reports.   
Fifteen minutes later when Iris walked into the diner Joe was already there. 

“Hey dad, thanks for meeting me” she said in greeting her dad.

“No problem, I always enjoy having a meal with my favorite daughter” Joe said trying to lighten her mood. It didn’t work, she didn’t even respond, she just picked up a menu and started looking over her choices. After sitting for several minutes in silence Joe finally said “Iris”

“Hmmm” was her reply

Joe started to ask what was wrong but the waitress chose that moment to come and take their order. Once they placed it and she brought back their drinks Joe finally was able to ask “Okay, what’s wrong did you and Eddy have a fight?” He did that knowing she would have to deny it and hopefully it would start her talking.

“I wish” was short reply.

“You wish you and Eddy had a fight” Joe asked

Iris looked at him like she didn’t understand, then shook her head and replied “No I don’t wish we had a fight. It’s Barry”

“Ah, you and Barry had a fight”

“No, I would probably feel better if we had. I have been feeling like he is keeping something from me for a while now. Then at Christmas he told me that he loved me, which was a shock considering he knew that I was with Eddy, and it put a real strain on our friendship. Even after that I thought he was hiding something, which was strange because he is my best friend and he used to tell me everything and now he doesn’t, but maybe that was because of me and Eddy. He has been avoiding me so I thought when we met this morning we would finally be able to figure out how to get our friendship back, but then she showed up and he ditched me, Can you believe it” she asked angrily.

Joe sat for a moment before asking “Who showed up?” 

“Dr. Caitlyn Snow, which I don’t even get, because she is so not his type”

“Why isn’t she his type?”

Iris stared at her father “Are you serious, you think she is Barry’s type? I don't think she is, she is too serious and I am afraid she will break his heart.”

Joe looked her directly in the eye and asked “What is really bothering you.”

Iris looked back at her father not really knowing what to say finally she answered “I don’t really know.”

Joe looked at his daughter took a deep breath and jumped in with both feet “I don’t think that it is Barry dating Caitlyn that upsets you. You have had Barry at your beck and call for years. Whenever you needed him, he was there for you. While he was in a coma you started seeing someone else and when he woke up you continued to see Eddy, and while that is fine, Barry needed you and you weren’t really there for him. Then he told you how he felt, which really was good for him to get that off his chest, and you got angry that he said anything because you were with Eddy; it didn’t change your plans, you still moved in with him. You deep down always thought Barry would be there waiting for you and that hasn’t happened. He found someone else, he is happy and that is all that should be important to you. You need to be happy for your friend not angry at Caitlyn, because if you let him know how you feel, you really will lose your best friend and that would be a shame.”

Iris sat there staring at her dad, she couldn’t believe what he had just said to her. She went to tell him he was so wrong but stopped, was that really the problem? Was she upset that Barry had moved on? Iris suddenly wondered if the problem was more her and less Barry.


	12. Roy's Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver helps Roy make an important decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it has been awhile, just haven't felt the urge to write. All errors are my own.

After his dinner with Lilly and Frankie, Roy had indeed spoken with Oliver and Dig about registering for summer classes. While they both thought it was a good idea, Dig couldn’t resist teasing Roy a little  
“I think you have another reason for taking summer classes” Dig said to Roy with a smile on his face.

“Really, and what would it be” Roy replied

“It would allow you to spend more time with a certain young mother and her beautiful daughter.” 

Roy had laughed it off at the time, but on his way home he started thinking. Was he beginning to have feelings for Lilly? How did he still feel about Thea? What would this do to his position at Arrow? He was still thinking on these things a few days later as he was training at Arrow, what he didn’t know was that Oliver was watching him. After several minutes of watching Roy go up and down the salmon ladder Oliver finally asked  
“What’s on your mind?”

Roy turned at the sound of his voice, he hadn’t realized that Oliver had come in from his apartment. 

“What?” Roy asked 

“What are you thinking about” Oliver asked again “I can see by your face and the number of times you have been going up and down the ladder that you are seriously thinking about something. So what is it?”

Roy just looked Oliver for a moment; he really didn’t know how to put into words what had been going on in his head. Finally he just said “Just replaying something Dig said the other day.”

“Ah, thinking about Lilly.” Oliver said with a smile. “Is there trouble? Have you too had a fight?’

“No, it’s just when Dig suggested that I was going to register for summer classes so that I could see her more I started thinking. Is that what I was doing? What about Thea? Do I still have feelings for her and if I do then why am I thinking so much about Lilly. And by my thinking so much about Lilly, what about Frankie? I mean if we start dating and it doesn’t work out, what will it do to her?” Roy said in a rush.

Oliver thought carefully about what Roy had just said and then he asked “How do you feel about Lilly?’

“I love spending time with her. I am worried that when she finds out about my nighttime job, she won’t want to see me anymore. I am also worried about Frankie. I don’t know if I am ready to be responsible for a child.”

“Okay, how do you feel about Thea?”

“I am angry at her for pushing me away, but I love her, but that too has changed. I don’t think I am in love with her.” Roy replied sounding very sad.

Oliver looked at his young friend and said “Tell Lilly what you do at night. Let her know everything.”

To say that Oliver shocked Roy was an understatement. Letting someone new know what they did at night was putting the whole team at risk. Oliver could see that Roy was unsure about this; so he went on to explain. “You have to trust her; you need to show her that you trust her. Let her know that it isn’t just your safety but the teams and you a trusting her with this knowledge because you care about her and you want no secrets between you. If she accepts this, then by all means explore your feelings and see where this relationship can go” and with that Oliver turned and went into his office. Roy stood there for several minutes starring after him when he heard “He is right you know” Roy turned and saw Dig standing there.

“I know” Roy replied with a smile on his face, suddenly things seemed a light brighter. He walked over to a bench and grabbed his phone and punched in Lilly’s number.

“Hello”

“Lilly it’s Roy, I was wondering if you were free.”

“When?’

“Now if possible, there is something I want to talk to you about.”

“Is everything okay?” Lilly asked

“Everything is fine, do you have time for a chat.” He responded.

“Sure, come over, Frankie is still sleeping so we will have to keep our voices down.”

“See you in a few” he said while walking towards the offices. When he reached Oliver’s door he stuck his head in and said “I am going to have a talk with Lilly, so I will be back in a little while.”

Oliver smiled nodded his head and told him good luck. Roy quickly left, not even bothering to take the time to shower. He wanted to talk to Lilly, no make that he needed to talk to Lilly.

He was surprised at how quickly she opened the door when he knocked.

“Frankie is still asleep, so let’s go into the kitchen.” She whispered.

Roy just nodded and didn’t say anything as he followed her to the kitchen.

“Would you like some coffee?”

“No thanks” he told her. Now that he was hear he didn’t know how to start the conversation so when after watching him for a few seconds she asked “So, what was it you wanted to talk about”, he breathed a sigh of relief and dived right in.

“Lilly, I really like you and I am really hoping you feel the same way. In fact I would like to see you outside of class and our study sessions. I would like to take you on another date, and hopefully many more dates after that” she smiled because she really wanted that to, “But, I have something to tell you first that may change your mind and if it does I completely understand.” That had her worried.

“The last time we went out you asked what I did that made me be aware of my surroundings, do you remember?”

“Yes, and you said that you couldn’t tell me”

“Well I feel in order for us to move forward I need to be honest. At night, when most people are asleep, I patrol the city.”

“I don’t understand, you said you weren’t a police officer.”

“I’m not; I am part of the Arrow’s team.”

Of all the things she could have imagined he was going to tell her that was not even on her list. Roy sat watching her trying to gage her reaction. She was quiet for so long, he was beginning to get worried then she asked  
“So you go around at night with a mask, catching bad guys that the police can’t?”

“That sums it up pretty well.”

“Why?”

“Well the Arrow saved my life” he began saying before she interrupted him

“No, why are you telling me this?”

“Because I trust you, I care about you, I want to ask you on a date and able to be honest with you if I have to break it or it gets interrupted. I want you to know all about me just like I want to know everything about you.”

Lilly sat there absorbing what he had told her. She was both excited and worried, excited that he wanted to get to know her better, worried that what he did was dangerous. She understood he was taking a big risk by telling her who he was and what he did at night, but could she put Frankie at risk by letting her get attached to him.

“Tell me more” she said

Roy proceeded to tell her everything, from how Oliver saved his life to what they do now. He told her about everyone on the team, he told her about his past, Thea and what he wanted for the future. He really left nothing out and deep down inside of her, she knew this. She was so lost in her own head that she hadn’t realized he stopped talking and he was staring at her. When she did realize it, she looked into his eyes and saw the nervousness and a little bit of fear in his gaze. Taking a deep breath she said “When”

“When?” he repeated

With a smile on her lips she replied “When do I get to meet them and when do you want to go on another date?”  
With a soft laugh he jumped out of his chair and grabbed her from hers, folding her into his arms and the kiss that followed erased any small doubts she had.

Oliver was sitting at the workbench when his phone buzzed, he looked at the message "Need night off, I have a date smiley face" Oliver couldn't help but laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think I love feedback.


	13. Oliver receives and award

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity is beginning to realize that Oliver is moving on without her.

The city was in the hands of the police department tonight, everyone had somewhere else to be. Felicity was going to a function with Ray, Thea had to be at the club, Roy was taking Lilly to the Community Center open house, Dig and Lyla were going to be Oliver “dates” to the open house. Oliver had not planned on attending but the ladies insisted. 

“Oliver, you have to be here, the whole neighborhood, plus the mayor will be here.” Rose said

“That’s right, if it wasn’t for you the majority of the improvements would never have been done” Shirley added.

“That is not true; it would have all gotten done.” Oliver protested. “Besides, do you remember what my last name is, not exactly an asset at the moment. It will be a wonderful evening without me.”

The ladies continue to pester him the rest of the day, following him around as he was setting things up for the open house.  
Martha, the quiet one of the bunch, had been listening to the others try and convince him to come, finally she could not listen anymore without adding her two cents. “Oliver Jonas Queen” she said using her loud voice causing everyone to stop and stare. “You listen to me, when you first signed up to volunteer here I thought, great this won’t last he’ll get bored and leave. I also was angry at you for what your parents had done” she said and seeing the sadness in his eyes, she walked over put her arms around him and continued “but you proved me wrong. You are a good man Oliver; you have done so much for the center and the people who use it, especially the children. I also remembered, you are not responsible for what your parents did. You need to be here tonight and if you don’t show up here at 6:30 looking your absolute best, I will march down the street to your new home and drag you here by your ear, do you understand.” 

Oliver looked at her in surprise; he really didn’t know what to say to her. Finally he smiled and said “Okay, I will be here “

The ladies all smiled at him and Martha patted his shoulder and said “Good boy, now get back to work” then walked away. So he spent the rest of the day getting everything set up. He then left to go and get ready, he still wasn’t sure about this but the ladies had insisted.

John and Lyla Diggle along with their beautiful daughter Sara arrived at Arrow to pick Oliver. Dig showed Lyla around while they waited. He showed her the training area, the tech area and even the conference room. He was walking towards his office when Oliver came out of the living quarters. Seeing them he walked directly to Lyla kissed her cheek and took Sara from her. The little girl was quite happy to see him, in fact she laughed as he patted his cheeks with her chubby little hands. 

Oliver laughed and said “I will take that as you are happy to see me and that I look dashing in this suit, not that you are trying to tell me I look funny.” 

“Of course she thinks your handsome” Lyla said

“So what do you think of the place” Oliver asked still chuckling over Sara.

“Very impressive, you have a nice set up here Oliver.”

“We have a nice set up” Oliver stressed “There wouldn’t be an Arrow without your husband or Roy, I just provided the building.”  
Lyla stared at him for a minute before nodding her head slightly. They chatted for a few more minutes before she suggested that they leave because it was getting late. Oliver was glad that they brought Sara with them, that way he would be able to leave early as they couldn’t stay to late because of the baby.   
Roy, Lilly and Frankie were walking into the center when Ray and Felicity arrived. Felicity wasn’t sure what surprised her more, Roy being there with Lilly or that he was carrying Frankie. She was still trying to wrap her head around it when once they were inside she saw Oliver dancing with not only Sara in his arms but also the little girl Roy had been carrying. When they music stopped Oliver smiled and kissed both girls on the top of their heads. Felicity was so busy watching Oliver that she totally missed what Ray had said.

“Felicity” He said louder

“Yes” she answered not really paying attention because she was too busy watching Oliver interact with Roy and Dig.

Ray tried to see what she was watching but he couldn’t because of the number of people. After giving up trying to find out what had her attention, he touched her arm causing her to jump and spin around. When she realized that it was him just getting her attention she quickly apologized.  
“Sorry, what did you say?”

Ray hesitated just a briefly before replying “I asked if you would like something to drink.”

“That would be lovely, whatever they have would be great” she says Ray already forgotten as she strains to see Oliver.

Oliver is standing with Dig and Lyla hold Frankie as Roy and Lilly are dancing.

“Felicity is here” Dig tells him watching for Oliver’s reaction.

“I would expect so, as the mayor will be giving Ray an award for donating the computers” Oliver casually says. Both Dig and Lyla are waiting for him to say something more and when he doesn’t they frown.

“What?”

“Oliver, doesn’t it bother you that she is here with Ray. If you want to leave we would understand.” Lyla tells him.

Oliver smiles at his friends and before he can answer Shirley comes up and says “Oliver, thank god, we need your help. There is a plumbing emergency in the kitchen and Frank is busy getting things ready for the mayor to make the presentation.” 

“Okay, show me what the problem is’ he told her as he handed Frankie to Lyla.

Dig and Lyla just starred after him, surprised that Oliver was going to fix and issue in the kitchen. 

“I don’t know what surprised me more, him heading to the kitchen or him not freaking out about Felicity.”

“Did I hear someone say my name’ Felicity said as she walked up. She instantly reached for Sara who for some reason decided she didn’t want Felicity to hold her. Felicity then turned to the little girl Lyla was holding and asked “Who do we have here.”

“This is Frankie”

“And who does Frankie belong to” Felicity asked intently looking at the little girl trying to see if there was something familiar about her.

“She’s mine” Lilly said coming up to them from the dance floor. Roy was surprised to see Felicity but greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.

“And you are” Felicity asked politely if not friendly.

“She is my friend Lilly, Lilly this is Felicity” Roy said making introductions.

Lilly reached for Frankie saying to Lyla “It is so nice to finally meet you,Roy has told me so much about you. How did you get her away from Oliver, usually if he is around she sticks to him like glue, she won’t even go to Roy, isn’t that right Frankie.”

“Oliver was called away on an emergency, so he asked if I would watch her while you danced. Speaking of dancing” Lyla said turning to her husband

“Sorry, I already have one girl in my arms, though I will take a rain check” Dig said smiling.

Lyla turned to Roy then “Okay big guy your up, dance with me”

Roy smiled and offered her his arm, as they headed to the dance floor Felicity asked Lilly “So where did you and Roy meet?”

“We had classes together this semester, Dig, I need to go and change Frankie, would you please let Roy know where I went” with that Lilly headed to the ladies room with Frankie, leaving Felicity feeling like she was stuck in an alternate universe. “This isn’t right” she said out loud.

“What isn’t right?” Dig asked

Surprised at first that she had said it out loud, she turned to Dig and replied “Any of this, Oliver dancing with babies, then going and handling an emergency, Roy is dancing not only with Lyla but this Lilly person who he has told all about me, but I know nothing about her and what about Thea, how would she feel about this, does she even know?” her voice getting angrier the longer she spoke. Dig stared at her, not knowing how to react to her outburst. 

“Ray is looking for you” Roy said coming up behind her. 

The look on his face told her that he had overheard what she had said, even Lyla looked upset.

“Roy” she began

“Don’t, just don’t say anything Felicity. Your boyfriend is looking for you so you had better go” Roy said his tone angry and dismissive. She went to say something else but the look on all their faces told her that it would be better if she just left. She reached Ray’s side just as the mayor began to speak. He talked about how the community center was vital to the neighborhood, and how Ray Palmer’s donation of computers would benefit the children that came there. He called Ray up onto the stage and presented him with a plaque, Ray said a few words thanking the mayor, he they carried the plaque back to Felicity. She was about to ask if they could leave when Ella asked for everyone’s attention.

“Excuse me, could I have your attention” she said into the microphone.

“Thank you; there is someone else we would like to thank tonight. He has done more to update and repair the center than any of our volunteers. He has tackled plumbing, the wiring, and painting. He has helped with the kids after school and the babies when we need him. He has even been a dance partner when class was short of men. The ladies and I have thanked god every day since he walked through the front door. So, Oliver please come up here.”

Felicity was shocked, Oliver had volunteered at the center. Then she remembered his meeting with Ray, he had come to ask Ray to make a donation. Oliver looked embarrassed as he went up on stage, the rest of the ladies joined Ella and Oliver. 

“Now Oliver we know that you just moved into your new home, and even though we are still waiting on an invitation to visit, the ladies and I would like to present you with this.” The this she was talking about was revealed as the curtains on the stage opened; it was a beautiful quilt. The blocks had been done by the children who came to the center and the ladies, as Oliver looked at it, he saw that even Frank had made a block. Oliver went and hugged and kissed each one of his ladies. Blinking his eyes to keep the tears from falling, he thanked them and told them they didn’t need an invitation to visit, they could come by anytime. As Oliver started to leave the stage Rose went to the microphone and added “Ladies, he is single, available and great with kids” making Oliver turn red. As he joined Roy, Lilly, Dig, and Lyla, Felicity caught his eye, she smiled at him and he smiled at her and then turned away to accept hugs from Lilly and Lyla and in that moment Felicity was jealous of both women.


	14. Lyla Talks to the Ladies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lyla talks to Felicity, Iris, Thea and Laurel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that this story is about the guys but this is in response to a comment. It was never my intention to make the women characters weak. The reason I started this story was I had been thinking about my dad, who is gone now, and one of the things he always told me was to think about the consequences of my actions. Before I did anything he wanted me to be sure that I could live with those consequences. So when Felicity told Oliver she didn't want to be a women he loved that phrase came to mind. I hope this chapters explains this and again I have never thought my female characters were weak.

Lyla decided it was time for a ladies day. The tension in the foundry was to the breaking point. She called Felicity, who agreed, and then she called Thea who after some convincing agreed, and then she called Laurel. Laurel agreed that it was needed, something was going on and Laurel wasn’t really sure what it was. Lyla knew, but she didn’t say what it was, she had learned through experience, somethings people needed to discover on their own. The ladies day would begin at the spa the finish the day with dinner and movies at her apartment. Lyla had wanted to invite Lilly to join them so she could get to know everyone plus she really liked her, but then thought the better of it because of Thea. Hopefully she could include her in the next one, or maybe she and Lilly would have a day just the two of them.  
Felicity’s friend from Central City, Iris joined them, the spent the day getting massages, manicures, pedicures, mud treatments, just being pampered and relaxing. No one had mentioned the male members of the team at all, until they arrived back at the Diggle’s home. Dig was just packing up Sara to leave and give the ladies the house when then arrived back. Everyone cooed over Sara and as he picked her and her bag up Felicity asked where he was going.

“Oliver’s, we are watching the game and discussing business” 

“What business” Laurel asked

“John, Roy and Oliver started a security company” Lyla answered.

“Poor Sara, having to listen to men talking business while watching a silly baseball game” Thea said while tickling her.

“First there is nothing silly about baseball and second Roy is bringing Frankie so Sara will have a playmate there.” He said heading to the door.

The silence that followed was deafening. Dig kissed Lyla goodbye with a whispered “Sorry” and left. Without saying anything Lyla went and opened a bottle of wine everyone a class. Still no one spoke; it was as if no one wanted to talk about the elephant in the room. Finally Laurel, bless her heart, asked  
“Who is Frankie?”

“Frankie is the daughter of the woman that Roy is seeing” Lyla replied “She and Sara have played together several times.   
“  
Laurel looked at Thea and said “I am sorry Thea, I know how much you cared for him, and I didn’t realize that you were no longer together.”

Lyla waited to see what Thea would say, again she was quiet, but the tension in the room had become almost palpable. Finally Lyla said “What exactly did you think was going to happen when you told him you needed space?”

Thea looked at Lyla her eyes narrowing in anger “What do you mean?”

“I asking what you thought would happen” Lyla replied seeing that everyone was now getting angry on Thea’s behalf, even Iris, who Lyla didn’t know. “I mean I know that Roy and Oliver had made some pretty stupid choices that defied logic or reason and you were totally justified in telling Roy that you needed space or Felicity even telling Oliver that she didn’t want to be the woman he loved” she went on “but I am really curious as to what you thought the outcome would be.”

Finally Iris spoke “If he loved her, truly loved her he would give her the space she asked for.”

“True” Lyla said “He did that, he gave her space. “

“If he was giving her space, then why date Lilly” Felicity asked

Thea really hadn’t said anything up until now “I thought he would wait” she said softly.

Before Lyla could comment Iris did “If he loved you he would wait for you and not start seeing someone else, or he could have told you.”

“How long” was Lyla’s question?

“What” Thea Asked?

“How long should he have waited?”

“Longer than he did” Felicity said, holding her wine glass up as Lyla refilled it.

“That’s right” Iris said while hold up her glass “If he told her he loved her and she needed space or was with someone else, why didn’t he wait. Maybe she and the other person would break up or maybe she decided she didn’t need space after all and now she can’t tell him because he is seeing someone he works with on a daily basis and” Iris stopped talking when she noticed that everyone was staring at her. 

After looking away from Iris Laurel said “If he loves her, than he should be willing to wait however long it takes.”

“That’s right” Felicity said touching her glass to Laurels

“So true” Iris added

“So Iris, who hurt you” Lyla asked and before Iris could answer Felicity said “Barry”.

Iris looked at Felicity before answering “Barry didn’t hurt me. I am with Eddy now, we live together and Barry can date whoever he wants.”

“Who is he dating” Lyla asked

“Dr. Caitlyn Snow” with just a little heat in her voice “I don’t think she is right for him.”

“Really, I think they would be cute together” Felicity added

“No way, she’s not his type at all, she is…..I don’t know exactly but it won’t work” Iris said getting frustrated.

“Iris” Felicity said softly “I know what Barry told you at Christmas time, is that why you don’t think it will work between him and Caitlyn”

“What did he tell her” Lyla asked

“He told her that he loved her, that he had loved her his whole life.” Felicity answered Lyla.

“That’s not it, not really, but if you look at it logically, how can he tell me that one day and shortly thereafter be in a relationship with someone else” Iris said

“At least he wasn’t dating someone else while he was in a relationship with you” Laurel said with bitterness in her voice.

“That’s not fair Laurel, Ollie has changed” Thea said.

“Iris when Barry told you he loved you what did you say?” Lyla asked

“I told him that I loved him to, but I was in Love with Eddy. Then things got awkward between us. He quit talking to me and we barely see each other.”

“So” Lyla said

All the women in the room looked at her and collectively said “SO!”

With a small smile Lyla said “Yes so, you have your life with Eddy, he has his life to live. So again I ask, what did you expect. He told you how he felt, you told him how you felt, you weren’t in the same place, and what did you think he was going to do?”

“I thought he would still talk to me and listen to me. He was my best friend.”

“What happened the last time you two talked?”

“He got angry. I tried to tell him that I knew that Caitlyn was his rebound person and that it was mean of him to put her in that position. I like Caitlyn, she’s sweet and I don’t want to see her hurt. What does he do, tells me that I am not is mother and that I don’t know how he feels about her. I went to explain that I did know how he felt and all that did was make him angry. So angry he left and we haven’t spoken since.”

“I know exactly what you mean” Felicity “I tried telling Oliver I understood what happened with Ra’s and he got angry with me too.”

“But neither of you can know what they are feeling don’t you see. Unless you are clairvoyant, there is no way you can possibly know how another person is feeling. Also, you telling them is wrong. It is saying you know what is best for them, that they don’t know how they are feeling. Unless you have experienced the same thing as they did, you really have no way of knowing.”

“So your saying Ollie and I had problems because I talked at him and not to him. That I didn’t listen to what he was saying.” Laurel mused.

“Oliver isn’t the most communicative person” Felicity said agreeing with Laurel

“Have you two realized that Laurel calls him Ollie and Felicity calls him Oliver and you are referring to the same person.” Iris said.

“I have a theory on that” Lyla said

“Please share, ole wise one” Thea said “Though I also refer to him as Ollie.”

Lyla laughed before answering “Laurel and Thea knew the boy that got on the Gambit. Felicity only knows the man that returned from Lian Yu.”

“What do you mean Laurel and I knew the boy” Thea asked.

“When Oliver came back from Lian Yu. He was not the same person that got on the Gambit. We don’t know what happened to him while he was gone, but judging by the scars I have seen it wasn’t five years in paradise. By still calling him Ollie, Laurel can be angry at the boy who broke her heart and you are still waiting for you’re the big brother you adored to come home.”

“He told me once that the person he had been died on that Island, he was no longer that person” Felicity said.

“In a way he was correct. Ollie did die on that island, but Oliver came home.” Lyla said.

“Well, he seems to have the same tendency to be a jerk that Ollie did” Thea said

“Okay, what he has done that makes you call him a jerk” Lyla asked

“Look at how he has hurt Felicity”

“How has he hurt her?”

“He pushed her away; if he loved her he wouldn’t do that.”

“He told me he loved me that the last time was before he went to face Ra’s.” Felicity said softly.

“He did” Thea squeaked. “What did he say when you told him?”

“ I never said it back, but I am sure he knows how I feel” Felicity said

“How” Lyla asked

“Why didn’t you tell him, everyone can see you love him” Iris said

“If everyone can see it, then he should know, why do I have to tell him” Felicity said getting upset.

“Because he isn't clairvoyant” Lyla said softly.

Felicity looked at Lyla, unsure as to what to say. 

“Look the reason I suggested today was so we could figure out what to do about the tension within the team. Thea is angry at Roy and Oliver, Felicity is angry at Oliver and Roy, Roy and Oliver are hurt and angry because everyone seems to be angry at them and quite frankly my Johnny is caught in the middle. So ladies we need to figure this out before someone, especially Johnny gets hurt.”

“It all comes down to actions and consequences. Roy kept things from Thea, which hurt her and caused her to leave. Thea’s leaving hurt Roy. Thea comes back but tells Roy she needs space, Roy sees that and decides to give her said space. He then begins to think about what he wants for his life so he decides to go to college, where he meets a very nice woman named Lilly. It is all about actions and consequences.” Lyla said.

“Another example would be Iris and Barry. Barry was struck by lightning and in a coma for months. During said months Iris met Eddy. Barry wakes up to find his best friend in a relationship with another guy. So he gets the nerve to tell her how he feels and she tells him she is with Eddy. So he accepts that she is with Eddy and decides to move on with his life. Again it is all about actions and consequences.”

“What about Oliver and Felicity” Laurel asks

“Okay, Oliver is a little harder because you have to go back to the boat. He gets on the boat, boat sinks, he ends up on island, and then he comes home. He keeps everyone at arm’s length, except Felicity, Felicity he lets in and I think this scares him. The more he starts to care for her the more he is frightened something will happen, so he pushes her away. After being pushed away, Felicity, rightfully so, decides to live her life. She meets Ray, becomes Vice President of the company and has a happy life. Oliver leaves to face Ra’s, comes back from the dead a second time and decides only way to defeat Ra’s is hook up with worst human ever. He tells the team this, which angers Felicity, who then tells him she doesn’t want to be the woman he loves and walks away from him. This got him to thinking about his life and he decides to live his life, but without Felicity because she is with Ray and happy which is all he ever wanted for her. Actions and consequences”

“So what should they have done” Laurel asked

“I don’t know, there is no way of knowing if anything they had done different would have changed things. They did what was right for them at the time, now Roy and Oliver are doing what is right for them. This is no different than Johnny and I. Thankfully Johnny and I got a second chance at being together. The main thing is, you need to recognize that even though you are not couples you need to work together to keep each other safe and to keep Johnny safe.”

“I think I need more wine” Thea said softly, Felicity and Iris nodded in agreement “You have given us a lot to think about, no more deep conversation, let’s just celebrate us, strong women who can be just as ridiculous as stubborn men.” With that, Lyla poured more wine and the ladies spent the rest of the night watching Outlander, a show with a strong woman dealing with actions and consequences, on cable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love getting feedback.


End file.
